Artist's Bio

www.suzanneleechetwood.comAs a child, my mother allowed me to paint and draw on the walls of a spare room to my heart’s content. My parents would whitewash each exploration of art so I would always have a fresh canvas and no attachment to my previous discoveries. At the age of 12 my father taught me how to oil paint. At 15, I was offered a scholarship to attend the Pennsylvania’s Governors School of Arts for painting. During this six week program, I became a Pottery student and returned home to work with world renowned potter Jack Troy at Juniata College. Soon after, I began to attend classes at Juniata and apprentice for Jack Troy.

I continued my education at Boise State University earning a B.F.A with an emphasis in Painting and Pottery and a K-12 certified teaching degree. I then opened the “Garage Gallery,” my small art business.

For me, art comes from an ephemeral experience, such as sitting on a rock getting ready to begin a rock climb. I notice the wind feather in the grasses below and my next painting unfolds before me. Creating is my way of communicating through color, texture, line, and form. Idaho rivers and landforms carry a story and significant value to me. As an artist of the western landscape, I remember the forms of earth I visit and paint them as they resonate in my memory. The draining of snowmelt in the foothills, the way it carves the land on its way to the river, and the cultivatation of the farmland inspires my work. The colors at the close of each day define my palette.